New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1887-08-14
GREASY JOES STRANGE 1IPPLE
A THIRST FOR CRUDE PETROLEUM.

THIRST FOR CRUDE PETROLEUM.
PIrrsBI'nG. Penn, Aug. r. A wonfertul lndiV'd"l
exists in this city lie Is "Greasy joe whelan who
is distinguished from the common herd by bis uhco"-
troabIe appetite for petroleum. which be d'in' ~
many men do whshcy ON the corner of Penn-aVe' "u'
Twelfh-st there stands a crnyiooains "oT'"i
building occupied by one J. Gatens. purchaser ''"
reparcr Of oil barrels. TO this establishment VINO
wagon loads OF barrels brought dany' ana II -
an important part OF Mr. Gatenss bnsihcss 10 cu'o'
rho oil which neutrality-suspicious. IN pretty laec
opanttle-n the bottom the barrels, and dispose oil
t afterwards perhaps TO the very individuals through
whose hands It has passed once Before. oh'il r-
Gently the presiding genius OF Gatenss baFIci SHop
was aGreasy Joe" rci-nosed tlear-eycd erlH@c",
roughbcardoi, stoop-shouhered goohnEike iour lev
and half of bone muscle AMI grease: such Is Joc
10 - ,,,i,ess rersoniGed Black, sllny crude
pctrueur Is as grateful to his abnormal stomach as
ambrosisl nectar TO the palate5 OF tiic goas II
rs good as whiskey. II not better he Is "oht I'd cay
and to sec him toss of cupful. roll it about In his
mouth like choice old port, and let 1t trlcke do"n
his throat with evident gusto one cannot help beihs
convinced that he actually reshes the stui
Tbe nroccss hv which joe became Injured TO the
pr,cuce OF oil drinking was easy and natural one
Three fourths of his DAYS wore spent IN "s'cr IT.
mir shop the atmosphere OF which smells like the
combined odors OF n dozen refnorles. WITH inc eN-
ccption Of tools and paint there was nothing atout
soaked through and through the floor 10 ulchic'
down the walls and drppod lazily from tho ceiling.
Joe became saturated with 1t until 1t Appeared 10
oose from every pore of his body. and penneatcu LIS
clothing so thoroughly that the application oil atch
would have sent him hcavenward In an instant
Thus it was that he came to be known as "1reasy
joe" an epithet which Will undoubtedly stick to HIN
IN his diving dav Joc's fellow la Orers in the WORK
of draining, mendng. cleaning and putting new hoops
on the barrels brought 10 his employers establishments
held It as sacred article OF faith that crude OIL l.
panarea. Did one Of them take cold! a glaSslu'
OF petroleum two or three times day would TX him
,p as sound as a dollar. Somebody's liver was as
ordered Out came the crude oil, and couple OF
swallows restored troublesome TO It's normal
condition Thus too. with rheumatism, neuralgia.
headache cramps and the whole category of us that
flesh is heir to. Joe, when still In his apprentice
ship became firm believer in the curative properties
of oil and, in OF time, came TO LOOK upon u
as a comforting and agreeable beverage For long
timo he did his o-tppling in the strictest secrecy
but one day, for the qualification oi group OF snhi
boys, he publicly tossed OF goblet oil the hnd ana
did it with such unmstahable relish that the young
sters were stricken with fear and looked upon him as
a mlnlon OF the Evil one.
Tbenceforth Joc's reputation was made. Strangers
in tho noshborhooi were invited TO feast their eyes
upon him. with the whispered Information: lie
drinks OIL" Common, every-da whisky drinkers r.
ea.dcd him with reverence as being whose capacity
had wonderfully outsrpped their own III iactr Joe
camo TO 10 treated as a rara avis and wa by many
cons deced as much an honor to TweIith-t' ana
vicinity as the Sphinx and the Pyramids are I"
Egypt. In very truth time passed on he became
as impenctrlbic a. the and as dicult OF access
as the other. There are some men In this W0ud "4o
cannot endure to bc famous "Grcasy Joc' Is one OF
them. He coveted the admiration or tac d-ead
o. us fellows aud whcn he REALIZED that such his
pVrt.ou his spirit rOse in revolt one day about a
month ago, he n!ssoI from his accustomed hunts
il.used thought that Ae mad gone ~ the oil
regions, there to pneA his tent beside well ana pa
petroleum dcDauch. Others hnted darby That be
FAD been carried OF by spontaneous combustion
having Always thought thai Joe would come To Daa
these aays. But In COURSE OF unsc Tie
been ascertained that he is wOring the Allegheny
One OF Joe's o.d-,Ime icliow-worhinen, popularity
known "Davy," chattcd Tor ! "nle the other Gay
Larr0. shop In quest Of information. Ia'y was III
lIDed 10 b. tviturn ami clearly DID not caro- 70 save
oil sad he IN answer TO a leading question, "NnJ
4. ns, drink oil. Not much Of IL trough. oiIS
boss, | tell you. DID joe drlnl II! Why, yes, Ia;
drank it. Much How do l know / never seed
him drink what you'd call heavy, but he always lVoA
lie 1Cil bad pretty often didn't lt Le T. navy nm
craciousiy ii Til YOU though" sad he, Frightening
up a. ho changed the subJect "ol Is immense i 10,
That m cure consumption AN all them d@cd.cs u@t
dor OrS can't do nothing With. l seen IL my eli
wien I was I'm the oil regions. Women an men
used TO come there dy YIN by inches an after dlIIh
the crude oil lor awhile The color came oact ht.
their cheeks, an they went home with bran NJ"
jnsdes. good for twenty years to come Just wait
a minute. You're IOOhin' pae. Ill III you up q
bottle, an you lake it home al. cure yGuT'oil,
tatons Of gratitude the reporter declined The
bottle bid Iavy adeu and departed filed Win as
toni shnent the catalogue OF virtues 20 stubDOriy
Gained for the nastcst, tllnicst iOoAlh5 huu t"'
r=hl arl Ga q
leading physician OF Pittsburs was called upon
and nc said Crude petroleum. or When IL j. not
Obtanablr, the refined article As used III common
house lamps is commonly u-cd IL eases OF sore thOd'
tho neck. in some cases great irritation EIs re
suited, the skin coming OF In patchcs ana causing
much agony TO the Iatcnt This Is tho work OF
parent which we are frequently called upon To-
iencdy Another common use Of petroleum Is the
rubbing OF Joints In rheumatism"
ais the internal use Of petroleum ever recommended
:" Tho Hgid Is no.. but pellets OF petroleum mass
lung troubles This mass' Is the ferdue OF fciln-
Ing and It's uso a medicine is moro popular In the
nil regions northwestern PENNSYLVANIA than In any
other locality. There physicians frequently recon-
mend lis use and seem 10 have great faith In it,
curative qualities. / have no personal knowledge
that IL has ever given relief"
For ten or fifteen years rrcvious Tn the nitro
duction OF petroleum article Of commerce. which
hecan with the great oil excitement which broke out
ia this state in 1860, crock OIL" as Il was teh
called was described panacea for almost every
III 1t was uaed both internally and externally ana
Uaa put up In vials, which sold AZ from
t,"optvGve IN Gfty cents each The oil obtained
In n most primitive fashion. II was eaihecd from
creeks and springs by the aid or BLANKETS. nc on
foated on the surface and was absorbed Nv pahkcts
laid on the stream The blankets wero then wrung
tfth mr.